Posted by:
Troy White
August 15, 2008
Issue #482
Fellow Business-Builder,
Can you believe August is almost gone?
Yeesh! That kinda flew by.
In between dealing with the insurance companies, estimators and police with our recent break-in, I found myself knee-deep in a brand new project for an exciting new client.
She has a program being released in a highly competitive field and hired me to help her find ways to grow her sales as fast as humanly possible.
Now a few details on the project:
- She is in Canada – and wants to focus on Canadian buyers (but the content applies to those who live pretty well anywhere).
- She has an amazing story (she went from $0 to $3 million in her first 6 months), and then another $3 million in the next 12.
- She is selling training in a field that is oversaturated with “gurus” – but she has no goal to be one. All she wants is to share the formula she used to create speed wealth like she did … rather than feeding people a little here – then upsell them to a little more – another upsell – a little more content, etc. She wants to give it all at once – for a sizable premium.
- She is the real deal and has proven to me time and time again she over-delivers.
- She is only offering the program three more times and then is out of it.
So, the foundation is set and I need to find out how to market her services, and who to market to.
We had discussed using online and offline media for maximum results in the timeline we set … and I think she really needs print materials mixed in to stand out from all the others.
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Posted by:
Clayton Makepeace
July 14, 2008
Issue #458
My best-laid plans blown to bits …
Dear Business-Builder,
What a great weekend!
The Redhead and I spent the last few days at The Wentworth Mansion in Charleston, touring historic Revolutionary-War era homes and eating way too much low country food …
Frankly, I had too much fun to write an issue over the weekend. And this morning, with IndyMac going belly-up … Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac imploding … Bernanke and Paulson kicking the printing presses into hyperdrive … and an explosion in emergency projects for my two favorite clients, I simply don’t have time to publish my issue today.
But, we are ready to announce the winners in last week’s twin challenges:
The winners of the “Best Sales Letter” challenge are:
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Posted by:
Clayton Makepeace
June 23, 2008
Issue #443
Plus …
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Four hot new freebies for you (no strings, no pitch, nothing to buy) …
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The most exciting announcement in Total Package history …
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Two huge new opportunities to swing for the fences in 2008 …
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And more!
Dear Business Builder …
Lots of new stuff to report this week — things we’re doing to get you richer, faster …
FIRST, we’re celebrating our third birthday this month — and like always, you get the present! Can you believe it? With more than 440 response-boosting articles in our archives and more than 1,000 pages of “Thank-You” letters in our testimonial file, you’d better!
But there’s a problem …
Unless you discovered us a long time ago — or spent weeks poking around in our archives — you’ve missed many of the best articles on copywriting I’ve ever seen anywhere (I know, I watched me write them!).
And since I’d rather have bamboo splints jammed under my fingernails (or worse: Sit through an entire Obama or McCain campaign speech) than to repeat myself, I’ve been laying awake nights worrying that you’re missing tons of timeless strategies and tactics that would otherwise be getting you bigger winners, more often.
But never fear, dear reader, your team at The Total Package has your back!
Here’s the deal: From now on, Thursdays will be “The Best of The Total Package” Day — the day we reprint one of our timeless and most highly acclaimed articles on copywriting, building a copywriting business, getting better work out of a copywriter — and more.
So I’ll continue publishing my new articles on Monday each week as always …
Tuesdays, you’ll get our guest articles from luminaries like Drayton Bird, Gary Bencivenga, Michel Fortin, Bob Bly, John Forde, Michael Masterson, and many others …
Wednesday is still reserved for our token Canuck and all-around swell guy and brilliant marketer and copywriter – Daniel Levis …
Thursdays, you’ll be treated to the very best response-rocketing articles from our archives …
And on Fridays, you get Troy White’s ingenious insights on growing your small business.
Clear as mud – right? Just hang in there … you’ll get used to the new schedule in no time flat.
(more…)
Posted by:
Daniel Levis
June 18, 2008
Issue #440
Dear Web Business Builder,
Seems some people have a lowly opinion of us copywriters who write to sell …
There I was working away, minding my own business, when for some reason I became distracted and opened up an e-mail from Brian Clark — a.k.a. Copyblogger.
The subject line, “Warning: Narcissistic Marketing Can Be Dangerous to Your Business Health” caught my attention.
The article was what’s known as a “hit” in blogger parlance. Brian was challenging the point of view of another blogger, Julie Rubiner.
It seems Ms. Julie (BA in Creative Writing and Literature) had detected an editorial emergency on my website. I had been singled out as the lead poster boy, (ahead of Ron Popiel even) for everything she detests about hard hitting direct response copy that sells.
She says my copy is jivey … says I sound like a fair barker or used car salesman … and implies I must not care about my customers or have any desire to create long term relationships with them. Ouch!
Of course anybody who recognized where the copy in question came from could see that Ms. Julie was misrepresenting it to make her point.
She had deliberately taken bits and pieces from different parts of a 5,000 word sales letter and strung them together to make them look asinine. And then went on to say that putting numbers in your headlines is bad … implying there are “secrets” is wrong … exclamation points should never be used … ditto for dollar values and limited time offers … and other erudite nonsense.
Like Narcissus, (who died of thirst because he was so in love with himself he couldn’t bare to disturb his own reflection in the water long enough to drink) … people like Julie who are in love with the kind of copy they like to read would starve in a heart beat if their copy was judged by the sales it made.
They’re all about making an image. If their copy strokes their client’s ego, then it’s good copy. Whether it makes sales or not is immaterial.
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Posted by:
Troy White
April 29, 2008
Issue #406
In this issue:
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The proven model for marketing breakthroughs …
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8 unusual ideas for a specialty chocolate business that can and should be applied to your business …
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7 Loyalty building breakthroughs to transform a niche retail store …
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And Much More!
Fellow Business Builder,
As I mentioned last week, one of the big areas for breakthrough marketing ideas comes from completely unrelated industries.
So, if you are a realtor - - find ideas from the restaurant business.
Or if you are a restaurant owner, look to the information marketing business for ideas.
Now, at first glance, the businesses above seem to have absolutely NOTHING to do with one another … but that’s the beauty of it.
If you have to think about it, put it on paper, and actually stretch to find ways to make them fit – then you are most likely doing something 99.99% of the population (i.e. your competitors) would NEVER even think of doing.
Which is where breakthroughs happen.
Let’s have a look at two different industries who filled out the survey.
Now, before you read the industries chosen and start thinking “That’s not what I do … this doesn’t apply to me …,” remember to think far outside of the box here – it DOES APPLY TO YOU.
Make it fit – real breakthroughs do not come from within your industry – they come from far removed businesses from your own.
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